Michigan State A Short Favorite Over Kentucky As College Hoops Gets Rolling

Marcus DiNitto

Michigan State A Short Favorite Over Kentucky As College Hoops Gets Rolling image


The college basketball season hits an early stride Tuesday night, as the Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago features a pair of games that would make any Final Four envious.

In the first tip (7:30 p.m., ESPN), No. 2 Michigan State is a 3-point favorite over No. 1 Kentucky, a team loaded with freshman talent. The nightcap has No. 5 Duke laying 5 points against No. 4 Kansas (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The Kentucky-MSU clash marks the earliest meeting between the nation's top two teams.

In typical John Calipari fashion, the Wildcats boast six freshmen who are potential lottery picks, including Julius Randle, the possible top overall selection. Randle has 45 points, on 12-of-19 shooting, and 29 rebounds through Kentucky’s first two games, albeit against weak competition.

Calipari says his young team will need time to jell and has been underselling its chances against the Spartans.

"We've got a long way to go," he said  "... We're still trying to figure out how to play fast, how to get in the lane, how to post up, how to cut. Trying to figure out defensively how we need to play. We're still not right."

Scheduling tough out-of-conference opponents is Tom Izzo’s M.O., as the Spartans coach tries to prepare his team for the competition they’ll face in March.

"It prepares us for the tournament," senior guard Keith Appling said. "A lot of the teams we play in our non-conference season are some of the teams that we'll end up playing in the tournament. Or are teams that are similar to these teams we'll be playing. So I feel it helps us out in the long run, and also prepares us for the tough Big Ten season."

Izzo said of tonight’s challenge, "We're going to have some problems with (Kentucky) matching up and they might have some problems with us. (Kentucky) looks like an NBA team. It's a big, big team. Talented team. Well-coached team. Can't wait.”

Our entire college hoops betting preview, including a pick on Kentucky-Michigan State, is right here at The Linemakers on Sporting News.

Information from STATS/AP was used in this report.

 

Marcus DiNitto